September 2018

Sanjay and Craig: A Mindless Show with Redeeming Features

Posted 30 September 2018

Finally, after 5 years of attempting to watch this entire series, on the week of August 27th and August 31st, I finished watching all three seasons of Sanjay and Craig (Nickelodeon, 2013-2016). There have been factors that have been causing the delay of the completion of this series through the years such as episode availability. I overcame those obstacles and finished what I started back in August 2013. I don’t know why I wanted to finish watching this entire show, it was just something I wanted to do. There might be some solid reasoning in this review.

Nickelodeon’s Sanjay and Craig was just one of those mindless shows I needed in my life. The show follows the life of a 12-year-old Sanjay Patel and his pet snake, Craig. They go on adventures, use their imaginations, and eat wings and play video games at the Frycade.

The 5 best things about Sanjay and Craig

Here are 5 factors that make this show stand out from the other Nick shows from the same era:

1. Art style is similar to Bob’s Burgers

This was one of the main reason I became interested in this show as I was a Bob’s Burgers (FOX, 2011-present) watcher at the time (I still want to be. Haven’t watched in a long time and REALLY need to catch up on the episodes). The characteristics of this art style include elongated heads and stick-shaped noses. Lo and behold, I come to find out that the character designer on Bob’s Burgers is one of the co-creators of this show, Jay Howell.

2. Homages to old game shows

I liked how there were two separate episodes where the show pays homage to two of Nickelodeon’s classic games show, Double Dare (Nickelodeon, 1986-1993, 2000, 2018) and Guts (Nickelodeon, 1992-1996). To make these episodes even more special, they actually got the original hosts to voice themselves. I used to watch those shows when I was younger and I find it really cool how they acknowledged Nick’s past by making these episodes. These episodes gave me part of my childhood back.

3. Demonstrates good kid fun

Many people say kids these days are on their techno-devices too much. Despite the characters occasionally having their phones on them to check out popular apps or taking selfies, the majority of this series depicts the kid characters going outside, causing mischief, and most of all, just having fun. They’re even good buds with their favorite movie star who lives in a trailer park nearby, Remington Tufflips. What kid wouldn’t want to hang out with their favorite movie star?

And for this, I feel vibes of the old Nickelodeon show The Adventures of Pete and Pete (Nickelodeon, 1993-1996) when I watch this. That’s all because Pete and Pete’s co-creators Will McRobb and Chris Viscardi are the executive producers and writers on this show. They took the authentic depiction of childhood simplicity and wonder from Pete and Pete and brought it to Sanjay and Craig. I also noticed a cameo or two of Mr. Tastee (but with a different name) on Sanjay and Craig as well, a man with a swirly ice cream head selling ice cream.

4. Kunal Nayyar is on this show

When the show was new, I was also a Big Bang Theory (CBS, 2007-present) watcher. I thought it was interesting to picture Raj Koothrappali do the voice of Sanjay’s dad, Vijay. The Raj character was pretty funny in those days much like Vijay, who is also a funny character. Kunal Nayyar is a pretty good actor and voice actor.

5. Sanjay is bi-racial

Nothing wrong with that! In fact, this is a subject that needs to be positively portrayed more often in today’s media, especially in childrens’ cartoons. In fact, someone I know really well is bi-racial and she’s really cool (part Hispanic/part white).

What’s not as good

Since this show is a modern Nick show, there are a few things that could have potentially driven me away from finishing this series. While watching this show through the 5 years, I overlooked these shortcomings and only focused on the 5 good points listed above. For one thing, we have the unnecessary fart jokes. I guess some kids think these jokes are funny. I felt it’s not exactly a good thing to poke fun at a normal bodily function.  Another thing that didn’t bother me as much but I didn’t particularly care for was the random loudness. Even though it uplifted me at times, if they overdid it in one 22-minute (or so, without commercials) block, it could get to be too excessive.

The Verdict

For a Nick-toon* that came out in this decade, it was typical but it stood out from the other hyperactive, non-relatable shows that Nick had at the time. The episodes were often mindless and mind-numbing but sometimes you need a show like that to break through a barrier of your realities in life and just have fun.

I will rate this show 3 stars. The childish elements cost this show two of the stars. The depiction of the kids enjoying their childhoods outside really add to the value. Makes me remember my carefree childhood and how great it was.

* ”Nick-toon” is spelled like that because it came out after 2007. After that year the quality of Nick animated shows started to decrease in my opinion. Had the show came out between 1991 and 2007, I would call it a “Nicktoon.” Are Nick cartoons still called “Nicktoons” or has that phase passed?

 

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Hello Again!

Posted 30 September 2018

Hey, long time no see!

Sorry for the delays. For some reason for this entire month, I just didn’t feel like doing any writing. It’s as if that last Samurai Jack review just drained me for the entire month. It really shouldn’t have done that. That shouldn’t be an excuse. I should post another review before the month changes.

Well guess what, today I am going to post a review about a show I finished recently. It will be up in a few minutes…

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What Vic Watched: Samurai Jack Season 5 Completes Unfinished Business

Posted 4 September 2018

“Got to get back…back to the past…Samurai Jack”

And with a deep breath, I began watching season 5 on August 15th. I finished on August 21st. I was reluctant to begin watching due to the many opinions about season 5 by the people of the internet. It was up to me to make my own opinions.

Back in 2017, something happened that Samurai Jack fans thought would never happen. The show returned as a 10-episode miniseries on Adult Swim and it actually concluded Jack’s quest years after the show ended in 2004.

What Happened?

Coming to you with fresh, sleek HD animation, after fighting with each other for fifty years, Aku destroys all the time portals and gives up attempting to fight Jack. Jack has lost his sword and hallucinations of the people he has let down plague him. He eventually meets Ashi, a daughter of Aku, who turns to his good side and creates a time portal to the past so he can finish destroying Aku, restoring peace back into the world.

Observations

In order for this season to make sense, you MUST (can’t stress this enough) watch seasons 1-4. Unlike those previous seasons, these episodes are NOT self-contained like the earlier seasons so you must watch each episodes sequentially. Much of the old crew returns for season 5 such as Genndy himself and Phil LaMarr once again reprising his role as Jack. There were also some new people as well such as a new music person, Tyler Bates (who also did music for Sym-Bionic Titan) and a new voice for Aku, replacing Mako (Greg Baldwin). It’s easy to see why this new season was on Adult Swim and not the regular Cartoon Network. The main audience who watched “Jack” in the past are now grown up and are now part of Adult Swim’s target audience. Also, it definitely would be too dark and bloody compared to CN’s other modern programming. With all the blood shown in this season, kids do not want to see huge amounts of the blood that could have been used to save lives at a blood drive.

Thoughts about New Opening

Whenever I watch the old opening, I think about how it might have been like being a Cartoon Network kid in 2001 (before Adult Swim took over prime time). Without knowing much about the show’s broadcast time slot history, as the intro begins, it makes me think of the older child whose parents allowed him to stay up past his bedtime as a reward for a job well done in whatever. Whenever I watch the new intro, I think of that same child is watching the season 5 as a grown up. It’s not as classic-feeling as the old intro but I just love the new artwork in it. It makes sense to have Jack narrate the intro. Despite the feeling of hopelessness in this intro, he will finish what Aku started. Jack narrates the last season of what’s to be finished whereas Aku narrates the first seasons, narrating about what he had started.

Notable Episodes
Episode XCVII (Episode 6) – This was when Ashi was searching for Jack and meets the many grateful people who Jack has helped. By this episode, the obviousness of this show being on Adult Swim gets its cake icing. I hear three “bad words” in this ep that were unheard in the earlier seasons: “damn,” “hell,” and…uh…let’s say it surprises me that even as a robot, Scaramouche knows his parts of the male anatomy.
Episode XCVIII (Episode 7) (or my name for it, the “Dirty Mind Test”) – Everything we suspected about a rapidly growing relationship between Jack and Ashi are confirmed in this episode. Since this was on Adult Swim, the writers made use of the fact by adding more adult humor when they hint about the couple’s feelings for each other. For one “dirty mind” instance, look at Jack’s head when it turns into a fish. At the end of the episode, Jack and Ashi kiss with the Dean Martin’s “Everybody Loves Somebody” in the background. Rewatch this episode to see what I mean about “dirty mind test.”
Episodes CI (Episode 10) – Here’s the ending for which fans have been waiting 13 years. Jack’s quest ends when he goes back in time through a time portal made by Ashi who goes with him, destroys Aku, and liberates the world from his rule. As Jack and Ashi were about to wed, Ashi doesn’t die but fades away in Jack’s arms on her way to the altar (if she really died there would be a leftover body, but there wasn’t). Since Aku no longer exists, she wouldn’t have existed either.
Verdict about Season 5

I’ve just been a fan of this show for nearly two months as of writing this. Yes, I still have much to learn about the deeper parts of this show but for now it is enough to express my appreciation for the fact that this show now has a proper ending. I wanted to see Jack and Ashi’s relationship further evolve. I’m sure there was a good reason why they had to rush the ending especially due to time constraints, low budget, etcetera. It probably wasn’t the ending that everybody wanted but it was an ending nonetheless after leaving fans hanging for over a decade. For a rating, despite this season/show having its ups and downs, everything gets all 5 of my stars. I have no regrets. Every second of this show MUST be watched.

Closing Thoughts

There have been other times I have started this show but couldn’t go very far due to time or availability of episodes. I found these 62 episodes of Samurai Jack and committed myself to watching every single one. It was a real delight to come home from work and watch my two episodes for the day. I cried tears of joy and uncertainty when I finished watching the final episode. This show is one of those at the top of my list of good animations. It will be pretty difficult to match the quality of Samurai Jack. I’m sure I might find something with similar quality somewhere even if takes years to find it.

I have an idea on what to watch next. I will post about it when I start watching on Monday.

Thanks for reading this entire review. I just had so much to say.

 

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